Major Parties Turn to ‘Fake Independents’ as Competition Fades Across the U.S.

Democrats and Republicans are increasingly backing candidates who run without a party label, signaling a retreat from traditional two-party contests in many states.

In Senate contests from the Great Plains to the West, Democrats are abandoning their own candidates and supporting faux independents, arguing that the Democratic label now harms electoral prospects. Historical examples such as Tom Daschle and Bob Kerrey illustrate the party’s former strength in states like South Dakota and Nebraska, but today those strongholds are held by Republicans. Meanwhile, Colorado Republicans have nominated Victor Marx, a self-described murderer, jeopardizing their viability, and New Mexico could not produce a qualified opponent to Senator Ben Ray Luján, resorting to a write-in candidate.

Similar dynamics appear in Minnesota, where a Trump-backed outsider could win the GOP gubernatorial primary despite the party’s waning relevance. The commentary warns that if even one independent Senate bid succeeds in November, the strategy could spread to future elections, raising questions about the purpose of parties that no longer trust their own brand to win.